iPhone 3.0 A2DP Stereo Bluetooth Headset Review Roundup

Over the last month or so we took a look at several of the more popular stereo Bluetooth headset options so we could get ready for the iPhone 3.0 goodness set arrive sometime today. In case you're itching to get your ears on some as well, here's a quick roundup of what we looked at:

Motorola HT820 Stereo Bluetooth Headset ($49.95 - WMExperts Store link): Chad thought this headset was great, and I will “suffer” through the minor ear fatigue just to use them. They provide a great value in functionality and sound great. Minus side, they're a tad heavy and aren't the best for use when lying down.

Motorola S9 A2DP Stereo Bluetooth Headset ($49.95 - WMExperts Store link): Rene's take is if you want something solid, affordable, portable, and functional for your iPhone 3.0 device on the go, you’d do well to consider the Motorola S9s. On the negative side, fitting may be an issue and they don't work well for lying down.

Reader comments

iPhone 3.0 A2DP Stereo Bluetooth Headset Review Roundup

I´ve been using stereo bt headsets for two years, and i can recomend Sony Ericsson products. HBH ds980, HBH ds990 and hbh ds220 are great. I use currently the ds220, it works superbly with iphone 3g + 3.0

Yep Rene, you said that on a recent TiPB Live...i made a mistake, its ds970 and the new ds980 (there´s no ds990)
I had a ds970...it´s more expensive than the ds220, because it has a display to see music and call information, has well has music controls. ds220 only has volume controls, plus pause and play, and it also let´s you connect any normal headphones

Yep Rene, you said that on a recent TiPB Live...i made a mistake, its ds970 and the new ds980 (there´s no ds990)
I had a ds970...it´s more expensive than the ds220, because it has a display to see music and call information, has well has music controls. ds220 only has volume controls, plus pause and play, and it also let´s you connect any normal headphones
Bryan, i never tested those, but they have good reputation

@Rene,
I paired the first gen s9's with my Iphone 3G that had 3.0 GM applied. I was able to play/pause but not song next/previous.
Also, I noticed that while using stereo bt, the volume controls on the iPhone were disabled. FAIL.

I am using this one on called Sharper Image PureHiTech Stereo Bluetooth Headset on my 3G right now since it comes with a dongle for non A2DP gadgets:http://www.purehitech.com/acc_UBTSHSD.html
Since the new 3GS has A2DP built in it will be even better now. I recommend it if you can find out still...I think they for for around $50 on ebay...used to retail for $130.

Here's a review I found on the IS800's.http://reviews.cnet.com/headsets/sony-ericsson-hbh-is800/4505-13831_7-33...
Not much of a review, but at least you can see the size in relationship to the person reviewing. I called a local Sony Style store to see if they had a pair to try out once the 3.0 is released and that was a know. Retail is $180, but I am seeing them on eBay for as low as $125.

Exactly how did Apple think when they started forcing ALL sound except the phone ring through to the A2DP device?
Notifications MUST be played on the device even if an A2DP device is paired. What use is the SMS notification in the headset when it is tucked away in your pocket? If they can't make it play simultaneously on the phone speaker and in the headset, at least make it play on the speaker!

somebody help me !!!
i have the sonyericsson ds220.. and i have been counting the days until it will work with the iphone OS 3.0
but it doesnt..
i know how the device works.. and the iphone sees it.. but it wont connect
please help me :(kendonesia@hotmail.com

the motorokr s9 hd does not support next/previous track on the headset, the volume, phone and play/pause button work fine. eveytime i press next or previous track button it beeps twice, wtf i just want my headset to work propper, did i miss something or did apple just do this to torture it's loyal customers please help a ninja out :-(

robbie t
i had the same prob yesterday.. i THINK i know what to do.
go to settingg --> general --> bluetooth..
turn it on.. it should find your carkit.
then press it and it is supposed to connect. (you may have to press a connect button on your carckit to)
when this doenst work ! what i had yesterday
pres on the little blue arrow on the right of you carcitname (on iphone) and it sais, forget this device
press that.. then turn bluetoot off.. and then turn it on again. when it finds your carkit connect it again.
by this time mine worked, and i hope yours does to

just a heads up. i just connected my S9's against iphone 3.0 (i've had them for a while for use with other products) and they work great. Sound quality is great. I had to pair twice to begin with because the first pairing was horrible so keep that in mind. as others have posted at various sites the 'next' and 'back' track buttons dont work on the original S9's but supposedly do work on the S9 HD's so keep that in mind. all other features work. for me this is kind of crappy because when i go for a run or ride i like the ability to quickly be able to skip a track if it is not motivating for exercise. otherwise, volume up/down, pause, play and phone functions work fine. i may have to crack and purchase the HD version just for the forward and back buttons to work but will test taking the iphone on long rides....it is a little too heavy to take on outdoor runs but is fine sitting on a treadmill shelf and transmitting. wow! on another note i just walked 40 feet from the phone and the sound is still strong. i even walked around a corner and into a closet and still great sound. the dongle that came with my original S9 never did a great job of transmitting bluetooth very far but i've noticed that on my curve and now the iphone the transmission is much stronger. hope this helps. -robert

thanks for the advice robert, i'm gonna try to unpair then re pair my s9 hd s because sound quality is aweful on some songs, and hopefully the next and previous track button work as well because as of now theny don't, i don't like the fact that i have to keep pulling out my phone to switch tracks, the iphone will never live up to our very high standards i suppose

FYI - the skip (last/next) track does NOT work on the Motorokr S9 HD. Those functions don't work on any of the headsets as it apparently couldn't be coded properly....
I wonder how Windows Mobile is able to get it to work, so maybe during the next WWDC presentation a scrApple VP can insert that snide remark.... Also, why are not more profiles included - is that too much for their whizbang programmers to handle or just another Control Freak maneuver.... They seem to be getting more and more like Verizon!!!

The next/back function was key. I bought the iPhone only after 3.0 with a2dp was announced (as standard as sms for years). Finally got 3.0 and Apple pulls this crap. Figures. Apple had to deliberately do this people. It's not the headsets, it's the phone.
I am typing this post on the last Mac I will ever own. I have had it with Apple. Why pay more for the same corporate crap.
I should have just got a Pre.

Regarding the next/previous track function, it also doesn't work for me on my Sony DR-BT22. As scrApple states, I've also read elsewhere that it's just not supported in OS 3.0.
Where it get's silly is that the DR-BT22 come with a little bluetooth dongle which is meant for IPod's but works on the IPhone. Using that, everything is fine and next/previous track work perfectly. I thought that OS 3.0 would remove the need for me to use that dongle but obviously not.
It's silly when a 3rd party piece of bluetooth hardware is able to navigate tracks but Apple's own built in bluetooth can't do the same (that is, assuming it's not a physical hardware limitation with the bluetooth chip in the phone)

I just got the Sony HBH-IS800 this evening.
So far (only used them for about an hour so far) I like them a lot, but not being able to control the volume is annoying. I have been able to pause and resume music, answer a call, and call my last dialed number (by double clicking the single button). I would really like them to function like the wired headphones that come with the iPhone, but so far this is the closest wireless option I have found.
I previously tried the JayBirdGear headset. The sound was nice, but the fitment was uncomfortable (Earpieces were too large for my taste). The wire connecting the two earpieces was stiff and would move the earpieces every time I would shift in my chair; so I was constantly re-adjusting them.

I have been using a Plantronics 590 stereo bluetooth headset for a couple of years now. I love my headset, but I had to use a dongle on the iPhone to be able to use them for playback. It works great now with 3.0, but what happens to the volume control on the phone once you connect? It's super loud and I can't find out how to lower it on the phone. I can lower it on the headset.

I tried my Lubix headset at the Apple Store today on the 3GS. It connected and reconnected quickly. Pause/Play worked. Sound was pretty good. Volume control on the headset adjusts the headset volume - not the volume on the iPhone player - so that was fine. So sad you can't change tracks forward/back.

We are all idiots for following the masses and not buying a Pre. They are laughing their heads off at Apple right now. "Those bozos are so worried about having our 'cool' phone, that we can sell them a new one every summer by just adding features that everyone else had 5 years before the first iPhone came out! They are so desperate to use our phone we can even get them to use a dongle! Hahaha! Make me another latte, I'm going to get back to shopping for square rimmed glasses..."

Michael you don't get it. The post points out that the dongle isn't needed now.
If you even had an iPhone 3G, then you'd also have the free software upgrade to 3.0 and would be enjoying Stereo Bluetooth without any dongle at all, instead of making uninformed comments like that.

By the way, the Plantronics 590a is a great Bluetooth Stereo Headset for those who prefer 'over the head' instead of 'over the ears/back of head' headsets.
However they're pricy (over $100) and it's made of brittle plastic (NOT metal) which I've had 2 of them over the past 4 years and they always break sooner (if you abuse them) or later (if you don't).

I have the Sony BT22 headphones. Work great with the dongle. Not so much with the upgrade. I like to have my player on shuffle and forward to the next song from my headset if I'm not in the mood for the one playing. Guess I'll have to keep using the dongle, and kiss my $10 goodbye.

I am not able to stream music from my iPhone to my car stereo?
I updated to iPhone OS 3.0 last night. However I am unable to stream music to my car stereo even though my car has factory installed integrated bluetooth (Nissan Qashqai Tekna).
Is it because my car bluetooth not A2DP ready? If so can I upgrade it and how?
Thanks.

Just got the new MOTOROKR S305 BT headphones. These are over-ear headphones like the HT820 but much lighter. IMO they're a great compromise between the HT820 and the S9/S9-HD: lightweight yet comfortable. Will field test them in the gym tomorrow morning- can't wait!

Paired my HBH-DS970 to the iPhone 3G 3.0. Headset works fine for music and volume control over headset as well. But it doesn't work as a phone head-set, calls are still fully handled over the phone like headset is not connected. I tried to unpair and pair again, but problem remains the same. Anybody has an idea ? There is a switch to choose between only phone headset and phone/music headset, but I can't pair if set to only phone headset

WARNING: major stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) problems! Think twice and TEST a lot before buying any headphones for your iPhone 3G
Unfortunately, there are two major problems with the stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) support of iPhone OS 3.
1.) Many of you have already posted the previous/next remote controls not working. This, unfortunately, is a fundamental problem with the AVRCP implementation of OS3. Hope they’ll fix it in a next update.
2.) I’ve found a very hard-to-track and really annoying problem. A lot of (mostly older; that is, older than about two years) A2DP headphone models don’t work acceptably with the iPhone 3G while listening to / watching streamed contents (incl. YouTube) via Wi-Fi. (Local playback and cellular [GPRS etc.] streaming works.)
Please check out http://www.iphonelife.com/blog/87/full-compliance-test-report-stereo-blu... for more info on this issue (particularly the last two updates posted at 06/24/2009 23.47 CET and 06/25/2009 13:47CET). The, in this respect, useless headphones also include the Plantronics Pulsar 590 (an, otherwise, excellent model).

NoCanDu, only useless when streaming over Wi-Fi - not otherwise. See my post.
Incidentally, in the meantime, I've also added another section; this time, I've elaborated on the A2DP encoding lag, which makes watching videos painful.

Another next/previous problem here. Both headsets that I've been using for years on my HTC devices paired without problem with an iPhone3G 3.0. Play/pause works but the Apple device wouldn't respond to next/previous commands like my last five HTC devices did.
Next/previous is a serious feature, make sure it works between the iPhone and the headset you're buying. My devices:
Sony DR-BT50 (Cups. Great, really great BT headset, superb battery life)
Sony HBH-DS970 (in-ear buds, disappointing battery life)

Robin, previous / next is not implemented at all in the phone. That is, ther eisn't a single pair of BT stereo headphones that support it.
Nevetrheless, you will want to seriously test any iPhone + BT stereo headphone combo - see the Wi-Fi streaming problems I've elaborated on.

A lot of folks have posted their issue of "I can't skip tracks forward or back" As Werner has posted in his remarks here, that is unfortunately a downfall within the phone, and has nothing to do with your headset. Your headset is likely just fine. While I'm in disbelief that Apple AD2P Bluetooth with such a common function being crippled, I am certain we will see an OS 3.1 update quite soon to fix not just this, but any of the small glitches that folks have found in such a major update as 3.0.

Those of you with Bluetooth car audio... it is NOT the iPhone, it is your stereo system and it's native bluetooth support. 99% of all bluetooth car audio was strictly intended for hands-free phone. Therefore, while you can still make and receive your calls using your car's bluetooth, you will be unable to use the stereo capabilities.

Before you go out and get a new headset, or buy the 3Gs, do your homework. With the bluetooth in it's current crippled mode, you may experience all sorts of different reactions with different devices. As an example, my LG headset will not allow changing of any volume, nor will play or pause work when pressed on the headset. Additionally, if I get a call while listening to music, then upon ending the call, the music resumes, but playing through the iPhone speaker, not through the headset. Instead, I must turn the headset off and back on. This is a major flaw, but I can not say with certainty where this problem is originating from (phone or headset). A friend of mine with a pioneer in-dash navigation system reports that he can now listen to voicemail through his car's bluetooth (only possible sine the 3.0 update), however, if he taps to call the person back, the call will not go through the bluetooth, but rather the phone.

If you have the original iPhone (your phone back is black and silver), you will NOT be able to use any stereo bluetooth unless you find a compatible dongle. The BT radio in the original iphones (not 3g or 3gs) is not capable of this feature, even after the 3.0 update. It is a hardware issue, not software or headset based.

A good idea, especially if you had paired your devices to a 3g model prior to the new 3.0 update, is to delete them from your list of devices, and repair them. You will find the bluetooth options under the iPhone "Settings" and the submenu "General". Don't worry if you can't find the needed passcode to properly pair your device. there is a 99.99% chance that the code "0000" or "1234" is correct for you. If one code doesn't work, try the other.

In closing, I'd like to point out what my theory is, on the iphone side. This has nothing to do with the track control, but rather the dropping of the bluetooth device when switching between functions (voicemail/music/calls, etc...). If memory serves, Bluetooth is limited to a single connection at any given time. The iphone, especially the new 3Gs, with it's 600Mhz processor, is fast! It may very well be that the phone is switching functions so quickly, that the bluetooth doesn't have time to react before the iphone just thinks the headset is still in use. For example, listening to voicemail in bluetooth, then tapping to call the person switches so fast to the phone function, that when the iphone goes to use the bluetooth for the call, it sees the headset as still being used by the voicemail, as BT headsets typically experience a [minimal] lag time. This being the case, the iPhone switches to the next useable option, which typically means, the phone's own speaker and mic.
Does that all make sense? I hope I've helped. Now I just will have to pray to the gadget gods each night that Apple sees this as a major flaw in advertising stereo bluetooth (or at least a lack of full disclosure on it's features), and that an update will be swift and rectifying.

Since other devices have supported stereo bluetooth for a long time, I was a little surprised at the limited offerings when I went to buy a headset for my new 3GS. I mainly wanted one to use while running; but there doesn't seem to be anything out there with that purpose in mind. I ended up buying the Moto S9, partially because they were cheap; but also because IMO the behind the neck headphones stay on best while exercising. So far I like them; the sound is good enough, and they are relatively comfortable. However, I haven't given them a good sweat bath yet, and I've seen many forum posts saying they don't hold up well when submerged in salty water. Also, as many others have pointed out, some of the buttons don't work; but thanks to several of the posts here, I'm thinking the problem is in the iPhone A2DP implementation, rather than a defect in the S9s.

I have a 3G 32 gb and a s9 HD that I had previously paired with the use of a dongle. Now
with 3.0 the dongle is not needed. HOWEVER, two major problems: first as many others here
the forward/back headset buttons don't work. Sure you hear beep-boop, but no joy. TWICE as bad, it almost constantly skips in the middle of songs. Made me want to throw my iPhone in the trash! I hope they fix this in a new release 3.1!!!
Guess I'll try re-pairing.

For everybody who has a problem with the Sony HBH-DS970 here's what I did to get it to work. Turn on iPhone Bluetooth, turn on the headset but hold the power button down for 5 seconds until the search logo appears, check iPhone to see if it is found and then connect. Before when I just turned on the headset normally it could not be found. The only button that seems to work is the start/stop button though, and the sound is not that good compaired to my Sennheiser in-ear with normal jack connector, the iPod equalizer seems to have no effect...

I bought the Sony DR-BT101 headphones about 2 months ago and they worked great with the 3.0 beta.
Then when the 3.0 final came out - they no longer pair.
It just sits there trying to connect. I turn bluetooth off and on a million times. Reboot the phone. Turn the headphones off and on. No matter what i do it won't pair any longer. I even reformatted my phone. No difference.
This pisses me off because obviously Apple changed something from the beta to the final. They were 100% working during all the different releases of the beta. Including the ability to make and receive calls.
Anyone got a suggestion? It's not like the headphones can be upgraded right? I see nothing about that on Sony's website.
Right now these are just a paperweight.

Just to make a few things clear:
iPhone / iPod touch with 3.0 os and a2dp bluetooth works, but:
-Volume sliders disapear and are set to MAX (wich cause most headphone units, notably the iSkin Cerulean F1 to have an unacceptably high "minimum" volume setting)
-iPhone OS support play/pause, but does NOT support next/previous via bluetooth; all of your devices are working fine, its the iPhone that is crippled.

Heads up to answer a previous question:
Voice control, recognition, and support is NOT useable in any way by bluetooth. Seems odd that with a properly working bluetooth headset, you still have to push and hold the home button to activate voice control, and still speak into the iPhone mic, NOT the bluetooth mic. From what I also read, this same feature is crippled on the iTouch.

I can confirm that in the 3.1 Beta you can tap the phone button on the Moto S9's to activate voice controls... This can potentially solve the non-functioning |< and >| buttons (as long as your phone understands you :) ) however if you are using Nike+, the app disables this functionality... So when I am running with Nike+ and my S9's, I am still SOL if I want to change tracks without digging out my iPhone :(

I have the Jabra BT3030 (dogtag style) and the strange thing is that after pairing it several times I get different results. This last time I AM able to decrease and increase the volume to at least bring it to a volume that does not hurt my ears. So I am reluctant to try again. Previous attempts resulted in no response from the + and - controls. One time (and only one time) I got the screen to enter the "0000" code. Every other time it paired without asking for the code.
Jabra tech support gave me a RMA number and said they would replace the unit. I don't think they actually paid attention to my email, just sent out a canned response.
Question: In the iPhone settings, with Bluetooth on, should the spinning circle always spin even after pairing a device?

I can't get my iPhone 3G(s) to complete pairing with the Chordette GEM. It will find the device and asks for the PIN but then just has a wait symbol. Also can't connect with partners 3G with 3.0 update, same issue. :'(

I have the new Plantronics Voyager 855 and after a day I can give a reasonable review, though there are probably things I need to learn. The audio is acceptable, no pops or skips unless I'm doing something else with the phone sometimes. Overall sound for music isn't as good as hardwired headphones, but one cannot expect that - but I find it pretty acceptable and worth getting rid of the bloody wires. The Voice Memos app delivers too much audio to the headset and distorts pretty badly so you have to record VERY softly, but I am pretty sure the actual recording is through the iPhone's mic. Picking up a call by sliding out the headset mic is nice - and the music commences properly when the call is over. The volume is set at maximum by the iPhone and can't be controlled at the iPhone, but you have a volume control on the headset which works OK and the max volume is good - but the controls don't work, eg. pause, next, voice dial etc. Fit is great and there's a nice neck cord if you don't want to wear the headset all the time. The second earpiece that plugs into the headset is perfect.

Jenni, Thanks for the info on the 3.1 beta - :)
Pnut - that is a pretty small head, maybe thats why you forgot to tell us what "headset" you have ? lol !
APPLE - Get it Together Already, Would Ya ?
(iPhone 3G + Moto S9's) - waiting for S9's in the mail any day now :( save $ with china - $24.00, but lose days off of your life from the anxiety :0
wheres that damn.. mailman !!!!! lol

Using iPhone 3.0 3GS have connected both Plantronics 590a and Lubix Bluetooth Stereo Headset NC1 both unit work well except for forward backward of song tracks. Looking at Anycom BSH-08 BT set for Echo cancellation / Noise reduction any user info on this headset would help. Anycom BSH-100 was my first Bluetooth headset work good with first iPhone, but I give it to my son.

Like Ian said:
1) I Paired Motorola S9 and several Sony Ericson headsets to the iPhone 3G 3.0 .. and Headset works fine for music and volume control over headset as well. But it doesn’t work as a phone head-set, calls are still fully handled over the phone like headset is not connected. I tried to unpair and pair again, but problem remains the same. Anybody has an idea ? There is a switch to choose between only phone headset and phone/music headset, but I can’t pair if set to only phone headset?
2) Is it a Iphone 3GS 32Gb problem?
3) Anybody knows if the Jaybird Freedom works for the Itunes and Ohione calls with this iPhone?
Thank you

Hello, the compatibility problem is solved.
The Motorola stereo bluetooth headphones S9 works with iphone 3gs, only the «next» and «previous song» commands do not work. Even the «voice comand» feature works well.
Thank you

As far as track ahead and track back not working on iphone - it is not yet supported in the iphone software however there IS A GREAT SOLUTION/WORKAROUND. Use the voice control which now works through voice control over bluetooth. press your call button on the headset, wait for the beep and say "play next track" or "play previous track" (or "call Joe Shmo mobile")

I have the above mentioned, Plantronics Voyager 855. I love the look & the function, but the audio quality is lacking, plus it often cuts out while listen to podcast.
I have also tried the Jabra Stone, which has good quality, but poor fit and not as many functions. Doesn't matter how good it sounds if you can't keep it in your ear.
Has there been any other products introduced since this review that might have improve quality and still be the wireless one ear style?
Thanks

So, 3G iPhone was stolen a month ago, but a friend was nice enough to give me their 1st generation iPhone when he upgraded to 3GS. I've never used blue-tooth in my life, even with my old razr, so as I'm researching what to get, are there stereo bluetooth headsets that also take calls? Or vice versa? Sorry I'm a newbie, but I appreciate your input. THANKS!

@cat: Sorry... but the 1st-gen iPhone doesn't support bluetooth stereo headphones out-of-the-box. You have to get headphones with a bluetooth transmitter (and make sure you get a transmitter that fits the dock port as opposed to the headphone jack if you want to control your iPhone with the headphones). In my experience, this never worked well at all.

Neither the Motorola S9 nor the S9 HD are completely compatible with the iPhone. Neither model S9 has the ability to track forward or track back on the iPhone. These buttons DO work with the iPod touch (1st gen) if you are using a Motorola bluetooth adapter. I really love the form factor of the S9 series, but I expect ALL of the capabilities of the S9 to actually function. Strange thought I know! The S9 series does have the ability to pause and play music though on the iPhone. If you don't need to track forward or backwards then this device is an 8. If however track forward and backwards is a requirement the I would have to rate this series of devices as a 2.

Adam, I don't think it's fair to ding the Moto S9 for the failure of the track fwd/track back function. The S9 works just fine with every device in the world except the iPhone; as thoroughly documented here, this is an IPHONE problem. That said, which OS is your iPhone running? I'm hoping maybe in 3.1.2 Apple have finally fixed this.

i also am a victim of the sketchy track previous and next function. i have used 3 different A2DP devices and they all work great execpt the track functions. im currently using a 3G, and i was wondering if it would be worth while to upgrade to the 3GS. i figure if they got the bluetooth issue worked out, i might do it. but at this point, apple should really have ironed out all the issues with the bluetooth we've had 4 software updates since 3.0 and they still dont have it right??? i hope they get their ducks in a row. ok, done ranting! i just hope that there will be a time where the AVHCP is FULLY supported. good day!

I have not used the S9 but was thinking of returning the Rocketfish unit I got yesterday because there is a lag from a MacBook Pro and the next/prev buttons don't work for one of these. I'm happy I looked since I have 3.1.2 on a iPhone 3gs and the problem appears to be with the phone or bluetooth profiles.
Maybe it'll be a selling feature for the iSuperPhone 3gsx-2010 to get another $300.00 from us?
Good Luck!

Here's some workaround info, in case it's useful to anyone: I didn't want to buy the Moto S9-HD + D670 Bluetooth adapter (certainly not at the $140 Apple Store price!), but everything I've read led me to believe that add-on BT adapters like the D670--intended for use with iPods that don't have built-in BT--do support the next track/previous track buttons. So today I purchased at Best Buy a RocketFish RF-MBT30 BT adapter ($41) and a RocketFish BT Stereo headset ($38 on sale--hey, I'm no audiophile, although now that I know it works, I still might snag a Moto S305 from newegg). I can tell you that the next track/previous track buttons DO work with the add-on BT adapter on an iPhone 3GS (3.1.2). Yes, it's annoying to have to pay for and snap an extra piece onto a device that already has BT, but to me that's less annoying than not being able to skip forward to a better song when I'm skiing and the iPhone is in my backpack. Another minor downer: in order to plug the BT adapter in, you have to take your iPhone out of whatever case you keep it in (or maybe get some plastic-carving tools and get creative).

iphone 3GS (3.1.2) upgrade didn't fix the FF/REV problem for me. I also sent the rocketfish back(it cant mute calls), and am keeping the s9-hd. Everything else works fine, and i just use iphones voice feature to FF/REV

I spent weeks looking for a pair of bluetooth headphones I could use with my iphone 3g that would answer / reject calls, control music and have decent sound quality. These headphones do all of this and do it prefectly. The only thing they won't do (yet) is rewind or forward music tracks (start / stop and volume works fine). Please note this is because the iphone does not support AVCRP and is not a fault of the headphones (no bluetooth headphones will do this on the iphone until Apple support this).
I previously used a pair of Sennheiser cx300 in-ear headphones which I thought were really good. The shb9000's have a real depth and quality of sound that was missing in the cx300's (and other headphones I've used). I also tested the Sennheiser MM400 bluetooth headphones in the apple store (retailing at £180) and these were nowhere near as good as the SHB9000's (in my opinion).
If you're looking for a pair of headphones use can use without wires with noise cancelling, long battery life, music and call control - buy these!

Re: Skipping tracks over Bluetooth on the iPhone
I just released a third party app that lets you do this, called Bluetooth Helper.
It's an indirect solution, but it works well. With working headphones that can play and pause your iPhone, tap Play/Pause twice to skip to the next track, or three times to skip to the previous.
Bluetooth Helper is available for $0.99 on the app store. Werner did a thorough write-up of it on his blog if you want to check it out.http://www.iphonelife.com/blog/87/last-working-full-avrcp-bluetooth-remo...

I have a Jawbone Prime and a iPhone 3GS with the latest updates. I need to be able to hear notifications, ie. new mail and text when they arrive. I live on a farm and am on & off equipment. Can someone tell me how I can get the notifications and if the music was streaming to the Jawbone that would be an added bonus.